Head for musical instruments



(No Model.) I

J. BOHMANN.

HEAD FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

No. 427,962, Patented May 13, 1890.

' I /F Z UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC JOSEPH BOHMANN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

HEAD FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 427,962, dated May 13 1890.

Application filed June 22, 1889. Serial No. 315,178. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH BOHMANN, of Chicago, in the county of (3001: and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machine-Heads for Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to heads for guitars, banjos, mandolins, and similar instruments, which are usually provided with a combination of worm-gearing known as a machine, by which the force applied in tightening the strings is greatly multiplied, and the amount of movement imparted them being correspondingly reduced their exact adjustment is comparatively easy.

The object of my invention is to facilitate the construction and increase the durability of the head, at the same time giving it a more ornamental appearance.

In the drawings the head shown is that of a guitar, Figure 1 being a front or top view. Fig. 2 is a corresponding view of the machine removed, a portion of the casin g being broken awayto showthe interior. Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 3, Fig. l; and Fig. l, an elevation of one of the flanges.

As seen most clearly in Figs. 2 and 3, the machine consists of a plate of sheet metal A, having flanges a a upturned at its sides. The flanges have holes B B, &e., of sufficient diameter to receive the shanks of the thunibscrews O O, and slots 0 c, Fig. 4, extend from the holes B B to the edge of the flange, said slots being of less width than the diameter of the holes. The plate A is pierced at proper intervals for the reception of the tuningpegs D D, &e., which have the worm-wheels E E, &c., formed upon their lower ends. The ends of the thumb-screws C 0 turn in blocks F F, 850., which are secured to plate A and to plates G G by screws 5 s. The plates G G serve to keep the tuning-pegs in place, so that the machine is self-contained and may be fully assembled before being at taehed to the guitar or mandolin. The end of the thumb-screw O is riveted over, so as to retain it in the block F, as shown.

The holes H H in the guitar-head, I are provided with bushings J K K, &c., two forms being shown in Fig. 3. The purpose of bushing the holes is to provide a more durable bearing for the tuning-pegs and to prevent the strings from-wedging between the bearing and the head. The bush may be a plain cylindrical ring provided with an outwardlyturned flange, as seen at K, Fig. 3, but is preferably made as shown at J. The outer part of the bush is threaded, so as to screw into the wood, and the interior is made tapered and the tuning-peg tapered to correspond. Thus the closeness of the fit may be adjusted and maintained by screwing the bushing in more or less, as may be required. Holes L L permit the insertion of the screws which secure the machine to the head.

The head as thus constructed has great durability; but if it be desired to take it apart for repairs it may be most readily done. The removal of the machine from the head and the taking out of the screws 8 s from the blocks F F permit the removal of both the tuning-pegs and the thumb-screws. The latter could not be removed without unriveting them from the block F, (title Fig. 2,) except for the presence ofthe slots 0 0, whose width equals the diameter of the thumb-screws at the bottom of the threads, so that by partially withdrawing the thumbscrews they may be slipped out sidewise through said slots, as may be seen by reference to the thumb-screw marked 0, Fig. 2.

I claim- 1. The combination, in a machine-headfor guitars and similar instruments, of a plate, as A. having flanges on two sides, through which the thumb-screws pass, bearing-blocks secured to and supporting the inner ends of said thumb-screws, and slots 0 0, extended to the edges of said flanges from the thumbscrew holes, whereby the insertion or removal of said screws is facilitated.

2. The combination, in a machine-head for guitars and similar instruments, of a plate, as A, having flanges on two sides, through which the thumb-screws pass, blocks secured to said plate and supporting the inner ends of said thumb-screws, tuning-pegs provided with worm-gear meshing in said screws, and a second plate, as G, secured to said block and inclosing the worm-gears and screws.

JOSEPH BOHMANN.

Witnesses:

P. H. T. MASON, WM. RHEEM. 

